Swivel for window-blind shutters.



PATENTBD MAR. 20,

No. 8l5,862.

B. H. PHILLIPPS. v

SWIVEL FOR WINDOW BLIND SHU TTERS.

APPLICATION FILED I'EB.15. 1905.

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- following is a full, clear, and exact descrip,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMINH. PHILLIPPS, OF FITCHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS. I

SWIVEL-FOR WINDOW-BLIND SHUTTER'S.

Specification of Letters' Patent.

Application filed February 15, 1905. Serial No. 246,768.

To aZZ whom it may concern/.- Be it known that I, BENJAMIN'H. PHIL- LIPPS, of Fitchburg, in the county of Worcester and Commonwealth ,of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Imrovementsin Swivels 1 for Window- Blind hutters; and I do hereby declare that the tion of the same. I

Myinventionrelates to an improvement in fasteners for blinds, and more particularly to that class of blinds or shu'tters'provided with aseries of pivotallyemounted slats having a bar secured thereto. in the usualmanner.

The object of my invention is to provide a neat and simple device adapted to engage the I slat-bar toretain or lock the slats in closed tion of they are held by my fastener.

position, the device being inexpensive to manufacture and place on the market.

My invention further consists in certain novel details of'const'ruction and combinaarts, such as will be more fully described liereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claim. I I

In the accompanying drawings, Figure is aview in front elevation of one form of my invention applied to a blind or shutter and showing the slats in closed position. Fig. 2 is a view in vertical cross-section, showing the slats inopen position, as when released from the fastener. Fig. 3 is, a similar view showing the slats closed, in-which position Fig. 4 is a view in front elevation of a slightly-different form of my improved fastener. Fig. 5 is a view in vertical cross-section, showing the slats closed and held in'such position by that form of my invention shown in Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is a detail view of one end of a sl'at bar as formed when used in combination with my fastener.

A indicates a blind or shutter which is provided with a rail 1 and slats 2 2 pivotally hung at their opposite ends in any agproved manner (not shown) to the side rails3. oosely secured to .the slats and extending transform of window blind or shutter; but in connection therewith I shall now describe my invention, the advantages of which are obvious, since it often happens that the slats after being closed will open automatically and remain normally in such position, especially when the recess 5 islocated in the mid or top rail'of the blind, whereby light is let into the room and an inspection thereof permitted. The slats may also be held in closed position to exclude rain or snow. In order to retain the slats in such closed position, I provide a pivotally-supported fastener, comprising a plate or button B, which may be circular in form, as shown in Fig.1., and provided with a series of equidistant peripheral slots 6 6, whereby the button is divided into a series of segments 7 7, each of which segments carries upon its outer face alug or ear 8, adapted to be graspedbetween the thumb and finger of the operator. The plate or button may be convex on its outer face, as shown, and is Patented March 20, 1906.

swiveled or journaled upon a screw 9 or'other suitable fastening means assing through an plate or button and the recess may be located either at the top or bottom of'the blind or in both places; but for convenience I have shown them located on the lower rail. Ordinarily it will be found that the end of the slatbar 4 is not seated far enough in the recess 5 to cause it to lie flush with the outer surface of the rail, and on this account I find it necesready constructed to reduce the end of the slat-bar, as shown in Fi 6 at 11, in order ,sary when applying my fastener to blinds althat it may lie flush wit the-rail when received in the groove. e

In manufacturin the blinds equipped with my fastener it wil merely be necessary to hang the slats relative to the vertical rails 3 in such position that the slat-bar when received in the recess 5 will lie flush with the outer face. of the recessed rail.

From the foregoing it will be seen that by moving the slat-bar so that the slats occupy a closed position the end of the slat-bar is received in the recess 5, whereupon the fastener is rotatedby'means of the ear 8 until a segment 7 lies over and covers the recess 5, whereby to prevent a movement, accidental or otherwise, of the slats from their closed position, it being understood that the Slat- IIO bar must move outwardly and longitudinally in the usual manner in order to permit .the

slats to be opened. When it is desired to open the slats, the fastener is rotated until one of the slots 6 registers with the recess 5, whereupon the slat-bar may be released and raised or lowered, as the case may be, to swing the slats into horizontal or open position. It will also be observed that, supposing the rail 1 to be a mid-rail, that form of my device shown in Fig. 1 could very easily be made to fasten two series of slats in alinement with each other or to fasten one series of slats while permitting the other to remain 0 en.

In Figs. 4 and 5 I have illustrated a shghtlydifferent form of fastener employed in connection with a similar construction of blind,

the fastener comprising a button formed of a,

single segment C, pivotally supported, at one end upon a screw or other fastening means 9 and provided with an ear or lug 8, the free end of the segment being adapted to cover the recess 5 to lock the slats in closed position. In this form also I have shown a wear-plate 12, of any suitable conformation, which is countersunk in the rail 1, as shown, if desired, the wear-plate being provided with a peripheral slot 13 coincident with the recess 5. It is obvious, however, that I could employ this wear-plate in connection with the form shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, if it is found desirable, and in connection with Figs. 4 and 5 stops (not shown) might be carried by the wear-plate andlocated a suitable distance on either side of the swinging segment-shaped button to limit its movement, although the buttons in either case are held in frictional engagement with the rail 1 or with the wearing-plate 12 in order to prevent accidental movement thereof.

It is evident that slight changes other than those hereinbefore mentioned might be made in the form and arrangement of the several parts described without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and hence I do not wish to limit myself to the exact construction herein set forth; but,

Having thus fully disclosed my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a blind, provided with a recessed rail and a lurality of slats movably secured in the blind, the combination of a slat-bar pivotally connected to the slats, one end of the slat-bar being reduced in size and. receivable in the recess in the rail and a button movably scoured to the rail and adapted to cover and uncover the recess in the rail to lock and re lease the slat-bar, the edge of the button tale ing beneath the shouldered portion formed by reducing the end of the slat-bar.

BENJAMIN H. PIIILLIPPS.

Witnesses:

O. A. TAFT, E. M. DODGE. 

